There is currently a pair of these (or other) repros being offered on ebay for 200USD "buy now"... Claiming the originals would go for 400...

Maybe we want to find a reasonable amount of people interested here to realize a wholesale deal. E.g. a friend of mine here in Happy Valley is an "approved dealer" for fashion/clothing.

In any case, I'd be interested to hear what knowledge you might have of these or other repros in general. Repro vs original on this particular item of equipment (cost, availabiliy, usability for reenactment etc)